I am new to the forum and have been reading various threads and posts, doing searches, and trying to learn more about mattresses. Unfortunately the more I read the more confused I get about what to buy. My husband and I just relocated from Nashville, TN to Holland, MI and abandoned our 12 YO king mattress. So now we are in search of a new one and since I have various health issues (Lyme, candida, co-infections, etc.) I am looking for something natural. I can’t say that I react to chemicals or chemical smells, but I still would prefer to sleep on something that is not off gassing horrible chemicals.
Here is what I would like:
No synthetic materials that off gass like foams and stuff.
No metal coils because of EMFs.
We like a fairly firm mattress.
Something that doesn’t sleep “hot” as we both get warm at night.
No fire retardants.
From everything I have read here is what I am considering right now.
Ikea Morgongava although I am concerned about it being too warm and not being comfortable (no Ikea close by to test it).
A cotton/wool futon (or cotton and get RX to avoid fire retardents) with a latex topper.
Having horrible brain fog is definitely complicating the decision making process. We did go to a mattress store here in town that has a Tallalay latex mattress, but it has a synthetic cover and a thing foam layer (why on earth)? The owner did say it would take him 3 weeks to get around to making this mattress for us and in that time he could pull the materials and let them hang in the hot warehouse to offgass. He would make an all wood box spring but there would be metal staples in it.
We are close to Grand Rapids if anybody knows of a good mattress store there.
The mattresses I have looked at that were recommended were around $4,500 for a king. That’s just too much. I would like to stay below $2,000. Impossible for what I want?
One more thought. I have been reading about wool mattresses. Mercola says they are the best and supposedly cooler than latex, but not cheap either for sure. How about the Morgongava from Ikea with a wool topper?
The first place I would start your research is the tutorial post here which has the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices.
Post #2 here and the other posts and sources it links to has more information that can help you answer the question of “how safe is safe enough for me?”.
There is also more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here but the most important factor is always how well a mattress matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). If you can’t test a mattress in person then I would make sure you have at least talked with a knowledgeable and experienced manufacturer or retailer on the phone so you have some confidence that any mattress you purchase is likely to be a good match for you in terms of PPP and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are important to you. With any purchase you can’t test in person before a purchase I would especially make sure you are familiar with the specifics of any return or exchange options that are available to you (or aren’t available) after a purchase and any costs involved so you are comfortable with the risk involved if your mattress choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped.
You have some great options or possibilities in the Grand Rapids area including one of the members of this site. They are listed in post #273 here.
Thank you for your reply. I did read through post #2 but unfortunately it made the decision harder and caused more confusion.
Interesting on the first business (Buis Mattress) listed in the other link. That is actually the mattress store I mentioned in my original post. My husband and I spoke to Marc Dozeman who was very nice and gave us a lot of information regarding mattresses. However, he does put a synthetic foam on top of the latex mattress and it has a synthetic cover requiring FRs. I asked if the foam could be left off and he said possibly but not really??
What about the idea of using a cotton/wool futon (no FR required??) with a latex topper? Any thoughts about this?
It’s a complex and somewhat frustrating topic to research because all the information that most people with more significant sensitivities or health conditions would normally want to know isn’t easily available and it will boil down to “educated best judgement”. Do you know of any specific sensitivities to any mattress materials that you have? Does any of your furniture contain polyfoam and are you OK with it? What types of mattresses have you slept on in the past at friends or hotels that seemed to be OK and you didn’t show any signs of sensitivities?
The wider the ranges of materials that you are “OK” with the easier it will be to choose a mattress but the first step is to decide on the materials that are “in the running” and that you are most comfortable with having in your mattress. Once you have decided on this the rest will follow more easily.
A mattress has to pass the fire regulations to be legally sold in the US but if you have a prescription from a health professional then a manufacturer that offers the option to do so can make you a mattress that doesn’t pass the regulations. I would also imagine that part of his hesitation was that changing the cover and quilting would affect the feel and performance of the mattress and if you have tested a mattress that uses a specific cover and quilting and then removed it then it may no longer be a suitable choice for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).
It’s not something that I would personally consider because the strengths of each material would generally indicate using them the other way around (latex is more adaptable and supportive as a support layer and natural fibers are more temperature regulating and breathable in a comfort layer … although they are also firmer than softer foam materials) but if you have tested a combination like this and it works well for you then real life experience always “trumps” theory so it would depend on why you were considering this combination and on how well it works for you in terms of PPP. The suitability of a mattress is always the most important part of the “value” of a sleeping system because if you can’t sleep well on a mattress that isn’t suitable for your body type and sleeping positions then nothing else matters anyway.